1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to heat exchange devices, and more particularly to a continuous heat exchange device for cooling or, in the alternative, heating a slurry of food consisting of solid particles or lumps in a non-viscous liquid.
2. Description of the Background Art:
A background art search directed to the subject matter of this application conducted in the United States Patent and Trademark Office disclosed the following United States Letters Patent Nos.: 1,375,210, 2,677,942, 3,770,252, 4,059,047, 4,279,295, 4,558,733, 4,648,315.
None of the patents uncovered in the search discloses a heat exchange device for cooling or heating a slurry of food consisting of lumps in a non-viscous liquid, which device comprises several vertically spaced heat transfer trays in alignment with each other and having non-aligned openings which allow the food slurry to pass by gravity from tray to tray, after it has been in contact with the heat exchange plate of each tray, and wherein each of the plates have means adjacent the openings for preventing the liquid from passing too rapidly from tray to tray without being pushed by over the entire surface of each plate by the scraper means.